LITERATURE AND PROPAGANDA
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Literature is not a synonym of propaganda;
if anything it is its antonym.
When one is black, the other is white.
Propaganda flatters our vanity,
literature torments our conscience.
Propaganda deals with our image,
literature with the reality behind the image.
Literature exposes that which propaganda covers up.
When propaganda says, "I am proud to be an Armenian,"
literature says "I am ashamed to identify myself as an Armenian" (Vahe Oshagan).
When propaganda says we are a nation of heroes and martyrs,
literature reminds us "Treason and betrayal are in our blood" (Raffi).
When propaganda says the enemy is the Turk or the West,
literature asserts "The enemy is us" (Shahnour).
When propaganda says we are the first nation to accept Christianity,
literature says "We survive by cannibalizing one another" (Zarian).
When propaganda says we shed our blood for freedom,
literature says "We are afraid of free speech" (Garabents).